In the third year of developing our Japanese garden, I began planning my trees. Naturally, I turned my attention to Japanese maples.

The history of these trees is amazing. Twenty-three species of understory trees in Japan, China and Korea have given rise to thousands of varieties, cultivars, hybrids and grafts. The journey to get here has taken almost four centuries of gathering, cultivating and pursuing the knowledge of these trees.

Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are small trees, seldom exceeding 20 feet tall. The dwarf trees can be as small as 1.5 feet at maturity. Leaves can be hand shaped (palmate), deeply lobed or toothed, and are grouped by leaf size, shape, color and by dissection of leaves. The main colors are deep maroon, bronze, purple, red, orange, yellow, pink and white. The bark can be colored as well — red, pink, black, tan, green or bronze. The tree itself is shaped either upright, vase shaped, weeping, cascading or multi-stemmed.

Propagation can be done by harvesting unknown varieties, growing from seeds and through grafting. For grafting, take the trunk and roots of a hardy strain chosen for health and vigor. To this rootstock, the scion, the branch and foliage of the preferred tree are grafted to grow. When the time is right, the rootstock tree is cut off, allowing the scion to flourish as the main tree.

The characteristic knob or lump of the graft can be either low or high. Either way, this should never be in the soil. Always plant the tree with the root flare above the soil. This ensures proper aeration of the roots as well as keeping the graft above the ground.

Before you decide to get a Japanese maple, some considerations must be addressed. First, the sun. There are a few Japanese maples that can take full sun all day, but many are rather delicate about the sun. Most like partial sun, especially in the afternoon when the sun is most intense. Some like shade. These beauties love moisture, but don’t want to be soggy. When they dry, they need water. Wind is a key factor, as intense wind can desiccate leaves, leaving them dry and brown. They also enjoy nutrition each year as a boost in the spring.

I must say a bit about the marvelous art of bonsai — the art of trimming trees, the branches and roots, in efforts to keep them miniature in a pot. Though this can be any tree suggested by the experts, people naturally think of Japanese maples. These beautiful trees can be grown in pots, but they should be stored in winter for protection.

Lastly, these beauties can be addicting. I bought two when we first moved in, but now I have two more for the Japanese garden. Bill bought me a beautiful 5-foot one that we need to plant. I joined a Japanese maple group and they brag about hundreds!

Hughes is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.